NFL makes bizarre decision on Joe Burrow facemask fine
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) walks the sideline in the fourth quarter of the NFL Week 12 game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Pittsburgh Steelers at Paul Brown Stadium in downtown Cincinnati on Sunday, Nov. 28, 2021. Mandatory Credit: Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK
The NFL made a strange decision on a potential fine for Dallas Cowboys linebacker Marist Liufau for his facemask on Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow last Monday.
No fine was issued to Liufau or any other Cowboys player over a blatant facemask against Burrow during the fourth quarter of Monday’s game, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. The play also was not flagged for a penalty during the game.
As the NFL publicly weighs whether to make facemask penalties subject to expedited replay review, consider this:
There was no fine issued on this play involving #Bengals QB Joe Burrow last week.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) December 14, 2024
Pelissero did note that safety Donovan Wilson received a fine for a hip-drop tackle from the same game that also was not flagged. In another instance, Lions defensive lineman Za’Darius Smith was fined for a hit to Packers QB Jordan Love’s facemask during last Thursday’s game, even though that was not flagged at the time either.
The NFL issues fines for facemasks relatively frequently. As the aforementioned plays demonstrate, missed calls are not exempt from that treatment. The Burrow case would seem to be pretty blatant. It’s not at all clear why the league would not go back and discipline it, especially when they did so in certain other cases during the week.
The NFL has brought up the possibility of allowing such non-calls to be reviewed during the game, but that still does not explain why the Cowboys got away with such a blatant foul here.
